Facing my demons

YOUNG DEPENDANT HAZEL AITKEN SHARES HER HEARTFELT STORY OF HOW SHE DEVELOPED – AND OVERCAME – AN EATING DISORDER   GROWING up in the military is hard, no one can deny. With it comes a unique set of probl...

Getting your child to Cyprus

UNTIL last month, if your child was at boarding school in the UK and wanted to travel to Cyprus to visit their family, they had to use the trooper from Brize Norton unless civilian flights had been authorised. ...

Selfies for safety this summer

SUMMER leave is fast approaching and if, like many Army families, you are planning to head to the seaside for some well-earned fun in the sun, then coastguards in Norfolk and Suffolk are asking you to take a ph...

HMS Heroes – the pupils’ voice

HMS (Her Majesty’s Schools) Heroes is a unique national pupils’ voice supporting Service children and young people. It originated in Plymouth and now has member schools worldwide. Five of the schools that ha...

Record breakers for Walking With The Wounded

290 pupils at Chetwynd Road Primary School are hoping to be named as world record breakers after taking part in a three-legged race at Chetwynd Barracks, Chilwell. The whole school took part in the world rec...

Forces kids in step

NEARLY ninety children from military families showed off their skills as they performed 23 dances in front of a packed house at the new Tidworth Garrison Theatre. The show marked a year since DanceForce – a ...

Schools join Poppy project

EVERY school in the UK will receive a pack of poppy seeds to mark the centenary of the First World War thanks to an educational initiative by The Royal British Legion. The project has been made possible by a...

Wattisham nursery gets a facelift

GREAT news for Army families! Bigger and better childcare facilities have opened at Wattisham Station in Suffolk. The new Wattisham Airfield Childcare Centre is available for families from the military and c...

Force for good

WHEN Katherine Reed’s husband Jim was deployed for seven months in 2012, the mum-of-two was determined the family would remain in close touch while separated. So when a Reading Force scrapbook was sent home ...

Legal column: Not seeing your child enough?

Consultant Solicitor Mandeep Gill (pictured below) offers advice on settling contact arrangements for estranged parents… THE courts recognise the importance of both parents in their children’s lives, particu...